JGIM: yoga and other sports can treat lower back pain and promote sleep

November 21, 2019 / biourn / -- yoga and physical therapy (PT) is an effective way to treat the complicated sleep disorders and back pain, and reduce the demand for medication, according to a new study from Boston Medical Center (BMC) The study was published in the Journal of general internal medicine The results show that after 12 weeks of yoga class or 12 to 1 Pt training, the sleep quality can be improved significantly for 52 weeks, which shows that these non drug methods have long-term benefits In addition, participants who had improved their pain early after 6 weeks of treatment were three and a half times more likely to have improved their sleep after a full 12 week treatment, suggesting that pain was closely related to sleep Sleep disorders and insomnia are common in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) Previous studies have shown that 59% of people with CLBP have poor sleep quality, while 53% are diagnosed with insomnia Drugs for insomnia and back pain have serious side effects, and the use of sleep drugs increases the risk of drug abuse and death The randomized controlled trial included 320 adults with CLBP from BMC and seven surrounding community health centers At the start of the study, the researchers found that more than 90% of participants in the CBPP had poor sleep After that, the authors assigned three treatments for CLBP: physical therapy, weekly yoga or reading materials B previous studies have found that yoga and PT are equally effective in reducing pain and improving physical function and reducing the need for painkillers In this study, sleep improvement was compared within 12 weeks of dry expectation and 1 year of follow-up "The high incidence of sleep problems in adults with chronic low back pain can have a negative impact on overall health and well-being," said Rosen, assistant professor of family medicine at Boston University School of medicine "It does underscore the need for providers to ask patients with chronic back pain about their sleep quality Given the serious risk of combining pain with sleep drugs, consideration should be given to non drug therapy for these patients " Sources of information: yoga and physical therapy as treatment for chronic lower back pain also improves sleep original sources: Eric J roseen, Hanna gerlovin, Alexandra femia, Jae CHO, Suzanne bertisch, Susan redline, Karen J Sherman, Robert Saper Yoga, physical therapy, and Back Pain Education for Sleep Quality in Low-Income Racially Diverse Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain: a Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of General Internal Medicine , 2019; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-019-05329-4